Middle Adult Development: God's Gifted People By Gary L.

Did one ever wonder why a person’s characteristics and behavior change when he or she experiences different stages of life? Also, can one predict what kind of life he or she will lead during the next stage, depending on his or her age? Just as the title of the passage suggests, Sheehy predicts different stages that most people experience between the ages of eighteen and fifty. She uses age as a major factor to indentify and categorize the human stage into six stages: “Pulling Up Roots”, the “Trying Twenties”, “Catch-30”, “Rooting and Extending”, the “Deadline Decade”, and lastly “Renewal or Resignation.” Sheehy refers to her self-proclaimed stages of life as the “developmental ladder” in which everyone will go through at some point in

“Though the age boundaries are not set in stone, we will consider middle adulthood as the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age” (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). I interviewed two individuals for this paper. Each person was asked the same fifteen questions (Appendix). I interviewed a male and a female who fell in the midrange of middle adulthood.

Lifespan Developments Theories offer explanations of how the individual changes and develops throughout their lifetime. While this objective is constant, the focus of these theories vary. Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory adopts an intrapersonal focus, outlining nine age related stages of the life cycle while Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Stage Theory focuses on five socio-cultural stages within which the individual interacts, interpersonally, over time. This essay will focus on both these theories, their implications in the world of adult education, particularly from the perspective of experience within two South Kerry Adult Education Centres and finally the areas where these theories may concur and contrast.

The life course approach started in the 1960’s prior to this the life cycle approach was used which as Bengston et al (Reference) stated did not really consider the psychological or sociological aspects. The life cycle approach focused on life events that an individual was likely to go through such as marriage and child bearing, whilst the life cycle approach can offer some beneft to showing intergenerational patterns and it is useful to show the cycle of

Human development is a process that starts right from childhood to adulthood. Individuals’ success and life satisfaction depends on what they develop in the society from their childhood period. This is a topic that has always drawn the attention of many scholars and theorists who try to explain what development entails through various stages of life. This paper provides an analysis of various relevant theories and research that focus on the developmental changes that take place in early, middle, and late adulthood. It focuses on Schaie’s stage of achieving, and Erikson’s theory on intimacy, generativity, and identity development. It also explores life satisfaction in middle adulthood, and lastly, the common illnesses of the elderly.

After 40, many people begin to look at life differently which they often begin to feel that life really is too short to be stuck in a dead-end or unsatisfying job. In this middle age situation, it is a time in which adults take on new responsibilities at the workplace and therefore, people of this age often feel a need to reappraise previous life structures with an

This paper will examine Spiritual Gifts and the role that Spiritual Gifts partake in the life of Christians. Questions of why we have Spiritual Gifts and who are Spiritual Gifts for will be answered. How did biblical authors speak of Spiritual Gifts and how did the early church utilize Spiritual Gifts? The history of the Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts will also be explored. Why was a doctrine needed and who developed this doctrine?

The stage that follows early adulthood is known as middle adulthood where people are generally caught between being productive and being stagnant. This stage reflects the need to create a living legacy: they would either need to feel they have become an important figure for the next generation to follow or they would develop a sense of purposelessness which is generally known as a “mid-life crisis”. This crisis can be solved by having the adults care and nurture children or help the fore-coming generation in other ways or means, however if the crisis remains the person would persist in random non-age-appropriate behavior as well as a continued feeling in stagnation. During this stage adults lose some of their physical aspects as their muscular strength, ability and agility weakens. Women will go through a menopausal

Popularized in the 1960s, the term lifecourse is adapted from modern sociology and refers to “the study of biography, of history and of the problems of their intersection within social structure” (Mills, 1959, p. 149). The aim of studying the lifecourse is to gain an understanding of how development and ageing within different historical and geographical contexts affects a person’s life (Elder, et al., 2006), focusing on the cultural aspects of an individual’s maturation. This term is different from lifecycle, which emphasises the biological development of an individual, not the social aspects that parallel their physical maturation and are culturally specific. Early examples of the lifecourse approach centred on intergenerational relationships within the family cycle with children maturing, marrying and becoming parents, thus starting the cycle again (Glick, 1947; Hill, 1970).

Lifespan development is a particular field of study which encompasses stability and change of behaviour, and examines patterns of growth that occur throughout the entirety of the lifespan of an individual (Feldman 2014, p.5). The study of human development is incredibly important, as it aids us in the understanding of ourselves, our children, our peers and genuinely any member of any society. Development is widespread and culturally diverse, not to mention ever-changing. Therefore, the human race is always providing new areas for research, as well as challenging the conclusions of previous studies. This report aims to analyse a single adult’s experience of development over the period of their life, using qualitative data. This analysis will focus on several aspects and theories of human development. In particular, it will discuss how a certain life event has impacted one’s life, as well as the concept of self-esteem and influential factors of this, and John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. Later, several conclusions will be drawn in regards to the participant’s life, such as how they have developed as a human, and what has perhaps enhanced or hindered their development and learning.

From adolescence to late adulthood, our lives change drastically. Our goals, achievements and conceptions of life differentiate as we mature. As we grow older, we no longer concern ourselves with self-identity or the opinions of others, but instead we focus on our accomplishments and evaluate our life (if we lived a meaningful life). From adolescence to late adulthood, we experience different developmental tasks at a particular place in our life span.

This book provides a comprehensive and insightful psychosocial analysis of human development across the lifespan. It encompasses a vast array of purported psychosocial developmental theories which are applicable to all practices within the helping professions and in general, corresponds primarily to the course of a human life. This book has 12 chapters where chapter contents include: the birth of a human being: what makes us who we are; a secure base: the importance of attachment; adolescence, identity and change; family systems and their life cycle; growing up with a disability and; themes in old age. Each chapter is supplemented with a brief summary and an activity section which allows readers an opportunity to become more engaged with chapter contents as well as facilitate critical thinking. The book concludes with a references and index section.

“An adolescent must struggle to discover and find his or her own identity, while negotiating and struggling with social interactions and “fitting in”, and developing a sense of morality and right from wrong (Davey 3). The sixth stage is the Young Adult: 18 to 35 Years. In this stage people tend to seek relationships and love. “Young adults seek deep intimacy and satisfying relationships, but if unsuccessful, isolation may occur (Davey 4). The seventh stage is Middle-Aged Adult: 35 to 55 or 65 Years. At this stage career and work are the most important things. “Some may struggle with finding purpose. Significant relationships are those within the family, workplace, local church and other communities” (Davey 4). The eighth and final stage is Late Adult: 55 or 65 to Death. He believed the last stage involved reflection. Some adults may look back with the felling of integrity others may look back with a sense of despair.

Throughout the Human Behavior and the Social Environment course, we have encompassed the many stages of the life cycle process. Now that I am twenty two years old, I found the early adulthood stage to be the most influential, and the most sensible one to relate to given the point that I am at in my life. More importantly, I decided to research and apply this life cycle stage to a variety of milestones, experienced by my interviewee, Chelsie. Living just houses apart, being raised by single fathers, Chelsie and I found that we had many things in common. We have remained friends since we were children, and have only grown to be closer into our early adulthood years.

Do you see yourself and the gifts you have as part of ministering to the body of believers where you are committed